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35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook The world was way more colorful.

Cars were cool colors, not just gray, white or black. Like, a mall parking lot would look spectacular.

Now it seems like everywhere is just a ubiquitous, low profile, architecturally acceptable sea of blah.

robot_pirate , YoItsCapture Report

Final score:

224points

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ADJ 9 months ago

Exactly! Problem is my car (VW Tiguan), just like many many other is not even available in any bright color. Default is grey, or another shade od grey. Most crazy you can get is dull dark red, and dull dark blue ...

45points

BreakfastBeerz , Aleks Dorohovich Report

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook That when you watched TV you had to watch what was on and if you wanted to watch something in particular, you had to wait for it to come on.

Final score:

218points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

When I was a kid we only got three channels through the antenna and one of them was PBS.

80points

To gain more insight on this topic, we reached out to Jean Mader and Laura Bettinger, co-hosts of the OK Boomer podcast. They were kind enough to provide some examples of things they remember that Gen Z might be confused or surprised by. "We all had a crush on Little Joe on Bonanza, watched in black and white," Jean revealed. "[We were] excited to get the annual big phone book and peruse the yellow pages (old books used as handy booster seat for kids)."

The hosts also provided a long list of things Gen Z might not be aware of: Princess style landline phones, typing on typewriters and using whiteout, getting blue fingers from carbon paper to make copies, using World Book Encyclopedias instead of Google, giant paper roadmaps you could never properly refold, and trading Beatles cards. Jean also pointed out that men would hold doors open for women, open car doors, and walk next to curb for women. "Always!"

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Not that long ago, but you no security screening at airports. You could literally walk the person to the boarding area and watch them board the plane.

LCCR_2028 , Matthew Turner Report

Final score:

212points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

9-11 changed a lot of things.

94points

keyboardtek 9 months ago

Ralph Nader was pushing for more airport security years before 9-11. But the government just considered him a nuisance.

19points

Leanne Hailes 9 months ago (edited)

911 changed everything. I remember when everyone on the plane was served a full meal and we even had real cutlery. And kids could go into the cockpit.

13points

Zaphod 9 months ago

I used to fly out of Long Beach Airport and you could show up 20 minutes before your flight, back in the day.

4points

LonelyLittleLeafSheep 9 months ago

And not for the better.

2points

Beans 9 months ago

Security screenings were pre 9/11, I remember X-ray machines being a thing way before 2001. They started becoming a thing thanks to hijackings in the 60s and 70s, and after things like Lockerbie. Things got stricter after 9/11 for domestic flights but screenings were already ubiquitous especially for international travelers

1point

Gustav Gallifrey 9 months ago

I've had a pocket knife in my pocket just about everywhere i go, for 45 years or so. I feel undressed without it (and it's been worth its weight in gold several times). I used to go through airport metal detectors, forgetting that i had it. Security would examine it, measure the blade, give it back, go on through. Have to be careful these post -11 Sept days, as it would probably prompt a cavity search at the very least.

1point

Wm Paul Robinson 9 months ago

If you were born in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland it arrived much earlier. The rest of Europe not long after before the terrorists had higher budgets, and cheap international flights ditto, before they had the reach to hit the US.

0points

Joeshar 9 months ago

Changed trust issues. Anyone can be a terrorist

0points

Daniel Gómez 9 months ago

Had it happened in a developing country, or one that is not so relevant in the world scene, nothing or hardly anything would have changed. Yes, it's a complaint.

0points

Guess Undheit 9 months ago

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Jayjay 9 months ago

Not entirely true, depends on the situation and place. Even in the late seventies, there was a lot of security at British Airports due to the IRA.

8points

Danielle 9 months ago

Thank you for that, I was really confused thinking that I'm sure I remember having to go through security when I was a kid (in the 90s) and that would be why.

4points

Simon Williams 9 months ago

And if you asked nicely you could go to the cockpit and talk to the pilot midflight.

8points

Zaphod 9 months ago (edited)

My brother and I flew alone from LAX to Sweden on SAS, when I was 8 and he was 7. We totally looked Swedish and the stewardesses took us under their wings, so to speak. They moved us to first class, so they could watch over us. We met the pilots in the cockpit and they gave us plastic Captain's wings. I still have mine somewhere, 47 years later.

6points

Noodle Panda 9 months ago

Going to an airport to meet relatives was a thing in the 80s. My dad took me to an airport to meet his brother whod been on a trip to australia. We just walked in, right up to where planes were landing or taking off. It was nice to watch them while waiting for my uncle. He gave me a toy koala when we got home 😁

8points

Noyfb noyfb 9 months ago

The hysteria over 9-11 was not the start of closing airports. There were airliner bombings, hijackings and airport attacks for years before 9-11, and security started getting tight then.

7points

SM 9 months ago

I agree, that is how I remember it. There was a reason why the 9-11 theorists used box cutters. It was because the airport security was already blocking bringing on knives and guns and such. And hijacking had already happened. The main difference was before 9-11 the hijackers wanted to live; they would want to be taken somewhere get something and then try to escape.

3points

Nimues Child 9 months ago (edited)

Oh it changed long before 9/11. Look up the "golden age of hijacking" in the '60s and early '70s. Literally a hijacking a week and sometimes more than one a day. From "take this plane to Cuba" to ransom to political statements, airlines preferred to comply with hijackers rather than introduce security measures they thought would turn off passengers from flying. I'm old enough to barely remember walking out to the tarmac to get on our plane. It was cool.

5points

lenka 9 months ago

Yep. You used to be able to go up into the cockpit too and talk to the pilot and kids would be given a little set of wings. I remember sitting in the jump seat (the fold out stool on the door in the cockpit) and helping the pilot do the pre landing checks. Very cool.

4points

MellonCollie 9 months ago

Yes, I remember that vividly and couldn't figure out for a long while what privilege we would have had to be able to do so. Turns out, I was a young kid (born in 1981) when we would do that, and a young adult when I took a plane again. I think I even remember standing on some kind of deck watching the plane leave that took my cousin back to Australia about 20 years ago. Impossible now.

3points

D 9 months ago

A single cause of terrorism and hijackings in the air, and it all changed.

2points

Cat Chat 9 months ago

But not just terrorism and highjackings from a single event. 9/11 was the straw that broke the camels back. Highjackings had already been going on with security already being discussed and changed, just not to the extent. Some other commenters have mentioned security policies issued as a result of the IRA .

0points

UnicornSnotRules 9 months ago

I was being in California. My mom said when they brought me home my grandfather was so excited to see me he came all the way out on to the tarmac and up the plane steps. No one stopped him.

2points

Debby Keir 9 months ago

Only when it was an internal flight... If it was international, you had to go through passport control, so in much of Europe, you couldn't just walk through to the boarding area.

2points

Jackson 9 months ago

When I flew Bearskin Airlines in Canada in the 80s, people frequently had rifles. They had to unload them when they got to the plane and put the bullets in their pockets. Then, the copilot put the guns with the rest of the luggage.

2points

Bryn 9 months ago

And speaking about airplanes: They used to have free lunches you could grab before you got on. They had the basic sandwich, water, apple, & chips but I loved them.

2points

Amy Smith 9 months ago

You didn't have to throw anything in your carry on over 100ml away

2points

Baseball is Life 9 months ago

I miss being able to meet people at the gate when they arrived home

2points

Bernd Herbert 9 months ago

that sounds wild.

2points

Mental Liberals 9 months ago

Then came the US corruption involvement in 9-11: for trillions of $$$$ And, control, control, control - For Your Safety...

1point

Elisa 9 months ago

And you could go to airport just to watch the planes take off and land

0points

Griffy 9 months ago

Went through security with the person leaving, or you could go to the gate to pick someone up.

0points

brittany 9 months ago

yall remember in Jungle 2 Jungle showing a literal kid taking a full on bow and arrow set through the airport? like my 7 year old as telling me "mommy he cant do that." lol

0points

Shelby Moonheart 9 months ago

I miss being able to do that.

0points

Aballi 9 months ago

The 3.4 oz of liquid allowance is what really gets me.

0points

Catharina Geerts 9 months ago

The times I took a flight were years before 9-11 and there were already those security gates

0points

ॐBoyGanesh 9 months ago

Thank goodness for Pre-screen/Clear!

0points

John Dilligaf 9 months ago

and just walking up to buy a ticket. I remember, late 80 /early 90s in TN, just walking up to the airline counter in Nashville and "I'd like a seat on the next flight to XXX" , paying cash for the ticket and walking into the plane.

0points

Mark Kelly 9 months ago (edited)

And back in the 90s to 2001 they used to leave the cockpit door open and even bring people up to take a look inside.

0points

BagelBoi 9 months ago

as someone born after 9/11, this is still hard for me to visualize. they just let you onto the plane or into the boarding area? seems crazy to me lol

0points

Ken Beattie 9 months ago

I really miss this. As a kid you got to see the cockpit too. I never got the chance because by the time I got to fly it was too late :(

0points

kaycee14 9 months ago

There were metal detectors, but you didn't have to have a ticket to go to the gates.

0points

Kenny Kulbiski 9 months ago

I'm so old I remember walking up to the ticket counter, with lit cigarette in my hand and buying a ticket and being in the air 15 minutes later.

0points

Brent Amador 9 months ago

And not have to wake up at 2:00 am for a 6:00 am flight. You could get there 30 minutes early

0points

Ubiquitous 9 months ago

What country was this? Maybe for domestic travel but not for international here in the UK!

0points

Steve Hall 9 months ago

As a teenager, we would go to the airport to watch the planes land. We could go anywhere in the terminal.

0points

Mark Karol-Chik 9 months ago

Once again, a case of RELIGION stealing the rights of others.

0points

Julie S 9 months ago

When I was a kid we used to go to Gatwick to watch the planes.

0points

Adrian 9 months ago

I don't think there was ever NO screening. Maybe 100 years ago?

-1point

You stole that from Robocop 9 months ago

In the US yes, not in the UK. We had problem with some American funded terrorists.

-1point

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook When the internet first came out, you couldn't talk on the phone and be online at the same time.

LosBrad , mautkananganach Report

Final score:

205points

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Cindi Antrobus 9 months ago

I can hear this picture

134points

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook My boss blew my young co-workers mind the other day when she explained that there is a special kind of black paper, that you can put between two regular pieces of paper, and when you write on the top one, it shows up on the bottom one!

mr_roborto , Kelly Sikkema Report

Final score:

205points

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Berni 9 months ago

Was called carbon paper..

129points

Jean also reminded us of 3.2% low alcohol beer, diets from 1980's like the Cabbage Soup diet and Grapefruit Diet, huge Hi Fidelity furniture like stereo record players, metal lunch boxes, riding in the back of station wagons facing backwards with no seatbelts, view finders, video stores, Swanson TV dinner nights, arm wrestling to settle disputes, nobody wearing sunscreen, fallout shelters and houses with coal chutes.

MTV was all music.

TKERaider Report

Final score:

201points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

Dude! I miss that so much. Reality TV is GARBAGE. I want the Music back in MTV.

123points

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Tv stations used to just go off at midnight. They would play a test pattern and a tone until resuming broadcasting around 6am.

shavemejesus , Denelson83 Report

Final score:

199points

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Lynne Thorp 9 months ago

Except on weekends and then it was 2am

32points

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook That it was normal for an entire household to share a single phone number.

AlexMango44 , Annie Spratt Report

Final score:

196points

POST

JoNo 9 months ago

And also share a single phone which was kept in a communal room.

94points

littlemissnoname- , Dominika Roseclay Report

We also asked the hosts if they happen to miss any of these things from the past. "Do not miss encyclopedias," Jean shared. "Google at our fingertips is amazing (although with this, we lost the ability to spell on our own). Truly thankful for GPS, but miss a map here and there to get a true perspective as to where things are. And a good arm wrestle is always fun and handy."

#10

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook My 20 yo son liked this one:

When driving to anywhere new, you had to get directions or stop at the gas station and ask for them…

Or you could buy a map/atlas.

Final score:

189points

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AtMostTheFabulist Premium 9 months ago

I had the atlas. I could figure out the miles, how long a trip could take, possible shortcuts. I loved that thing

62points

#11

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook There were telephones EVERYWHERE. Streets, shops, sidewalk corners, etc., etc.

You paid for calls with COINS.

PawzzClawzz , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

183points

POST

Isa 9 months ago

The struggle to find a working phone or having coins...or have to stop in the middle of no where and try to find a phone...I'm so glad that we have a phone that we can use anytime...and we have GPS...my worst nightmare was to try to go to a certain address using a map, without having no one to help me...dear lord...

37points

LeeAnnLongsocks , notavailable_name Report

#12

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook We used to make our Christmas or birthday wish list from looking in a Sears & Roebuck (or other store's) catalog. You could actually order and pay for things via snail mail, and it was safe to do so.

Final score:

172points

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AnnaRachelle 9 months ago

For us, it was the argos catalogue or the index catalogue

42points

And when it comes to things we do today that future generations might be shocked by, Jean predicts that because AI will take over, they may be shocked that we ever had to creatively write anything! "Will cars all be automatic and they will be shocked we used our hands to steer?" she asked. "Robots will clean our houses, and they will chuckle at the fact that we actually moved a vacuum."

If you'd like to hear more from Jean and Laura about life "back in the day," be sure to check out their podcast, OK Boomer!

#13

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook My adult children and all their friends didn’t believe me when I first told them that married women weren’t allowed to have a credit card in their own name until 1974. Before that, they could only have one through their husband.

jmac94wp , CardMapr.nl Report

Final score:

171points

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Lauren Caswell 9 months ago (edited)

Yeah, I didn't quite believe it when my mum told me that mid 70s (ten years before I was born) the bank wouldn't let her have a chequing account without dads approval. In their words "husband, boyfriend or father". Seriously so long as their was some random p*nis owner next to her they were happy. So dad went in with her, closed their account and told them why (their treatment of mum) (Edit: they technically could legally have chequing accounts, but the bank had every right to decline women or impose these requirements. So the closing of the account did mean something, as he found a bank that would be fine with mum having free reign as much as he did)

122points

#14

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook There used to be a phone number you could call to get the time. It would update every 10 seconds. “At the tone the time will be…”

GshNAttck , Min An Report

Final score:

166points

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UselessKnowledgeFont 9 months ago

And the temperature! For some weird reason I thought that was so cool as a kid

57points

tarot_tarot_bo_barot Report

#15

All of us kids, as young as toddlers, used to pile into the open bed of a pickup truck and just be driven all over hell and gone by adults who didn't even have seatbelts in the cab. No one ever questioned this. It was a perfectly legitimate method of transporting small kids.

Final score:

148points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

I was still doing this as a teenager working construction. Me and the rest of the laborers got hauled from jobsite to jobsite just like that in the 90s.

24points

#16

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Ashtrays everywhere. Homes, businesses, restaurants, hospitals, malls, schools (designated area), etc. Even if you didn't smoke you had ashtrays, at least on your coffee table, for guests.

oldcatsarecute , Markus Spiske Report

Final score:

147points

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Lauren Caswell 9 months ago

Would you like to sit in the smoking section, or directly next to the smoking section?

80points

#17

No ATM or debit cards. You would have to withdraw enough cash to cover you for the weekend, since the banks were closed.

renushka Report

Final score:

143points

POST

ADJ 9 months ago

In the 80s and early 90s in Poland very little people even had an account, work pay was in cash, all shoppping was in cash. Cheques existed, but never gained any popularity and were phased out in late 1990s, when debit cards gained popularity.

30points

#18

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Cigarette machines pretty much everywhere, as long as you put the money in you could get a pack of smokes no matter what age you were

No_Worldliness_6803 , Arz Report

Final score:

136points

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Bogdan Chelariu 9 months ago

Italy and other European countries still have those, but you need some form of ID to be able to purchase.

26points

#19

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Leaving kids in the car to run into a store was no big deal.

shkilo , Sam Barber Report

Final score:

133points

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P1 No-Name 9 months ago

Where I grew up (NI in the early 70's), you HAD to leave someone in the car, or it would be removed & blown up.

43points

#20

(M69). Gas station attendants would put gas in your car, cleaned your windshield, and check your oil as a part of buying the gas. Then you paid him through your car window without getting out of your car.

Pop / soda came in glass bottles.

Grocery stores only sold food and the stores were about a quarter of today’s sizes.

When you needed wood and such for a home project, there was no Home Depot. You went to the lumber yard for wood and anything else, a small local hardware store.

3D-ironowl Report

Final score:

128points

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Arthur Waite 9 months ago

And the pop bottles were generally re-fillable. You'd go to the store with a six-pack of empties, and come home with full bottles, save on the 2-cent deposit charge. And the Cub Scouts would go from door-to-door collecting bottles to generate money for trips, picnics, and courses.

45points

Heavy-Week5518 , Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas Report

#21

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook At one time, Top 40 radio was comprised of real musicians and singers.

Final score:

116points

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Leanne Hailes 9 months ago

Really, REALLY miss this. Also miss real music.

43points

#22

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook People used to actually write letters, put a stamp on them, and mailed them to their friends and relatives! As a kid, I would write letters to my school friends over summer break just to tell them how my summer was going and most would write back telling me how things were with them.

I still remember when stamps went from 18 cents (US) to 20 cents and my Grandma complained about how outrageous that was. Today a first class stamp is 66 cents, and I only mail Christmas cards and thank you notes nowadays.

SiroccoDream , John-Mark Smith Report

Final score:

116points

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Isa 9 months ago

It was so exciting to get a letter from my pen friends...such an amazing feeling...

36points

#23

We had a Tylenol scare where several bottles were tampered with. Those that took them died (if I remember that correctly).

Until then, nothing was ever protected. So you could open any bottle or box from drug store items like Tylenol all the way to food and drink.

I told this to my 34 year old daughter and she was shocked that there was a time when we didn’t worry about such things.

Prior_Benefit8453 Report

Final score:

108points

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CK 9 months ago

Until much more recently, ice cream was never tamper proof. Then some jerks started licking ice cream and closing it back up, so now it's much more common for there to be a foil or paper cover.

57points

#24

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook There was a room called the “coal room” in the basement of our house. We’d shovel coal from that room into a coal furnace to heat our house. The coal was delivered by a truck that had a coal chute that was inserted through a basement window in the coal room.

Logybayer , Pixabay Report

Final score:

107points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago (edited)

Our house had an autostoker so you only loaded the hopper up once a week. We's buy a dump truck load a year. Blue Mountains so long winters.

23points

#25

We went to the moon before we put wheels on suitcases.

greenwoody2018 Report

Final score:

105points

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Milan 9 months ago (edited)

Or before allowed women to have credit card on their own name #LandOfTheFree 😁

64points

#26

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook A 15 minute phone call coast to coast was about $12 in 1977. Equivalent to about $60 today.

timeflieswhen , Ron Lach Report

Final score:

104points

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ScarletRos 9 months ago

We could only ring our grandparents in the country on Sundays because it was cheaper.

37points

Nightmare_Gerbil , Michael Brennan Report

#27

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook When you went to a concert, you made sure to take a lighter — even if you didn’t smoke.

Final score:

103points

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Mr E. 9 months ago

Did you see any of the videos from Coldplay’s recent tour where everyone was given an LED wristband to hold up? Amazing Honestly, put lighters to shame! (I’m old enough to have a lighter to my first concert though)

28points

#28

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Drunk driving wasn't a serious crime until a group of moms got together and advocated. (MADD).

MizzGee , energepic.com Report

Final score:

96points

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The Momo 9 months ago

You could drive and drink alcohol. But you couldn't drive inebriated. There were limits. A couple cold beers and the road was the way to go !

29points

#29

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook I'm just old enough to remember smoking on planes. It still blows my mind that that was a thing!

Linzcro , Pascal Borener Report

Final score:

96points

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P1 No-Name 9 months ago

They used to refresh/cycle the air on aircraft. Now they are just smoke-free flying petri dishes

18points

#30

That "Help wanted" ads in the back of the newspaper were a good way to find jobs, and they were segregated by sex.

randycanyon Report

Final score:

94points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

Not my first job but my second. I went to work for Pizza Hut by answering a newspaper ad.

14points

#31

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Houses in the same area had to share a telephone "party line". And you could listen in to their conversations.

Unless you sneezed or something...

mrxexon , Annie Spratt Report

Final score:

92points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

No secrets in small towns. Except for the secrets.

10points

#32

Whenever you wanted to download something online, you'd have to basically threaten everyone in the house with their lives if they picked up the phone during the amount of download time it took. It would take hours to download a game or an image, and if someone used the phone, the download would START OVER from the beginning. Plus, in the mid-'90s, you'd have to pay by the hour.

Shaydie Report

Final score:

92points

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Guess Undheit 9 months ago

This is why you collected links during the day and did your downloads after 11pm, when everyone had gone to bed. If you didn't, you should have.

28points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

See Also on Bored Panda

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#33

There was such a thing as penny candy. A store near my school sold lots of it. Little Tootsie Rolls, many flavors of gumballs, and lots of other tasty things. A group of kids could come away with a big haul if one of them had a quarter.

newleaf9110 Report

Final score:

90points

POST

AnnaRachelle 9 months ago

I loved half penny sweets. 20 for 10 pence

18points

#34

Every year I teach my students about Y2K and they think it’s hilarious.

pupsnpogonas Report

Final score:

89points

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keyboardtek 9 months ago

It was a real threat, but the reason we think it was dumb was because the world did unite to prepare for the problem and the software people were successful. Now if the world could just unite and plan for global warming...

69points

#35

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Milk was delivered to your house every week in a gallon glass bottle.

walkawaysux , No Revisions Report

Final score:

82points

POST

E.V. 9 months ago

We still have this. It costs like $100-$120 a month.

15points

Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium

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#36

Morning and evening newspapers. Mail delivered twice daily.

BabaMouse Report

Final score:

29points

POST

AnnaRachelle 9 months ago

Our first post was always before 8am. Second post around 1pm

5points

#37

Drinking age was 18 in my day, but you could walk in a bar at 16 and order a drink, because nobody cared.

jefuchs Report

Final score:

24points

POST

ADJ 9 months ago

I was 11 or 12 when my mother send me to shop to buy a wine. Lady in the shop just asked me - who send you? -My mom. -OK, here you go. It was in the 80s.

11points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

See Also on Bored Panda

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#38

We actually grew up having face to face conversations.

TadpoleVegetable4170 Report

Final score:

24points

POST

ADJ 9 months ago

Face to face to face to face to face to face ... we lived in packs :)

5points

#39

Movie Phone. Want to go to the movies? Call Movie Phone, where the man's velvet recorded voice guided you through the movies showing that day. Push a number for the theaters, another for the movie and again for the times.

Or find the week's showings in the newspaper.

Sometimes you found out once you got there the movie time was sold out so you got to decide on seeing something you didn't know about, buy tickets for a later showing and occupy yourselves in the meantime or go find a pay phone to call Movie Phone again.

tigerlady13 Report

Final score:

23points

POST

Dianellian 9 months ago

Kramer

10points

#40

You manually defrosted your refrigerator's freezer. Scraping the ice out.

FrauAmarylis Report

Final score:

23points

POST

ScarletRos 9 months ago

Good times of dragging large sheets of ice from the freezer then dropping them on a siblings head.

16points

#41

Where we lived, Connecticut, all forms of birth control were illegal. The US Supreme Court overthrew the law in 1965, but the decision explicitly referred only to married people. We young people had sex, but it was illegal to do so responsibly.

Building_a_life Report

Final score:

22points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago

If certain people are put in charge, then that will happen again.

36points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

See Also on Bored Panda

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#42

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook If you misbehaved in school, the teacher could and would dish out some corporal punishment. I had a couple of teachers who absolutely loved hitting kids on the a*s with big wooden paddles made by other students in wood shop class. They had a system. The students wanted to make the most gnarly and painful looking paddles, not even thinking about WHY they are making them.

Felon73 , 2021tiger Report

Final score:

22points

POST

AnnaRachelle 9 months ago

Even though at age 11 teachers couldn't hit you anymore,we had a teacher who would throw a blackboard rubber at anyone who spoke when they shouldn't (1989)

8points

#43

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook There were racks of free maps in gas stations.

Nobody bought bottled water.

The coffee was terrible.

They sold DDT infused wallpaper

You could hang up a No Pest Strip in your house and all the bugs would die

When the TV acted up (often), you took the tubes to the drugstore and tested them and bought replacements

Threw your trash out the car window

Emptied the ashtray right in the street

Piles of burning coal to thaw frozen streets for repair

Everyone burned their trash right on their property

Many buildings heated with coal, the cities were a grubby dark grey

5 Day Deoderant Pads

Saturday was Bath Day (with shared bath water)

Wuzzlehead , Julia Avamotive Report

Final score:

21points

POST

AtMostTheFabulist Premium 9 months ago

I remember the shared bath water. Uck!!!

9points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

See Also on Bored Panda

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#44

Kids could leave home, and people didn't bat an eye about it. My grandfather was 8 when he left home and made his way in the world. He had no education, worked jobs for people, etc, and no one even questioned why an 8 year old was alone. He signed up for WW2 when he was 17 because no one checked for identification.

My_fair_ladies1872 Report

Final score:

20points

POST

EmBree 9 months ago

My grandmother was 12 when she started cooking for lumberjacks. She lived in the forest for months at the time and was responsible for cooking, cleaning and making sure to order all the tings they needed weekly. One of the men carried the water to the cabin because they were afraid she'd fall into the creek, but everything else was up to her. My MIL was 11 when she was sent to the opposite end of our country to work at a textile factory. She was 13 when she gave birth to her first daughter after the factory owner had "acted inappropriately" with her. The daughter was given up for adoption and she lost her job. She got a new job as a maid and gave birth to her second daughter when she was 15. The master of the house was the father. The daughter was given up for adoption and she lost her job. She worked her way home. Moving one town at the time, taking odd jobs. She didn't tell her family or anyone she knew about the daughters because that would have made her an outcast.

8points

#45

We had a fire department call box, down the road, If your house went on fire, you run to this red box and pull the lever.

blowawaydandelion Report

Final score:

20points

POST

#46

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook I remember that you couldn't know the sex of your kid until the baby was born. Apparently, there were ways to tell, though. I remember my mom's friends would hold a necklace with a weight over the woman's belly. They thought that you could tell the sex by whether the necklace swung up and down or back and forth.

Shaydie , MART PRODUCTION Report

Final score:

19points

POST

CK 9 months ago

Because the chances are about 50/50, people guess correctly about half the time. Two correct guesses is enough to make people think they have a working system. So there are a lot of people who are absolutely convinced they can tell.

23points

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

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“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#47

On the evening news every night they would show the Doomsday Clock. An analog clock that when it hit midnight, we would be in nuclear war. It was usually very close to midnight, like 5 minutes til midnight.

Imagine having the very real threat of nuclear war looming over your head every, single, day.

pingwing Report

Final score:

17points

POST

CK 9 months ago

We still don't have to imagine.

19points

rockstoneshellbone Report

#48

Fallout shelter under our Jr. High School.

Final score:

16points

POST

Penny Hernandez 9 months ago

Air raid drills in school. "Duck and Cover"

4points

Suggest_a_User_Name Report

#49

TV stations went “off the air” after midnight and played “The Star Spangled Banner”. Then they showed a test pattern.

Ask me what a test pattern was.

Final score:

15points

POST

JoNo 9 months ago

I am 100% certain "The Star Spangled Banner" definitely was not played on Australian when TV went "off the air".

20points

#50

35 Trivia-Worthy Facts About The Past That May Leave New Generations Shook Seat belts weren't taken seriously by most people until the 90s.

Top-Philosophy-5791 , Kelly Report

Final score:

15points

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Isa 9 months ago

We( my parents, my brother and I) survived a car accident in the middle of the desert ( I was born in Angola, and that happened in the desert of Mocamedes)...no phone to call, no one around...luckily a truck driver was passing by and saved us...wild times...

3points

#51

"Credit scores" were invented in 1989. People who already owned their homes and cars and got their educations before then, got those loans without having their credit checked.

Digger-of-Tunnels Report

Final score:

15points

POST

Ace 9 months ago (edited)

Not quite. There was certainly a credit check system in the UK (and elsewhere, I'm sure) a long time before that, even if it relied on manual bank records. "Credit Score" was just a new newly invented more accessible way of doing so ,and is still not universal. I've bought houses and had other loans and credit cards in several countries since those times, and never actually known what my Credit Score was or if I even had one.

6points

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

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Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

#52

That breadboxes were a thing cause a loaf of bread came wrapped in paper or cellophane.

Maleficent_Scale_296 Report

Final score:

13points

POST

ADJ 9 months ago

Actually it came wrapped in nothing...

10points

#53

You could register an automobile without any insurance.

jukeboxdan86 Report

Final score:

13points

POST

David Paterson 9 months ago

It differs from country to country. Compulsory third party insurance came into force in the UK in 1930, in Ireland in 1933, in Germany in 1939, in Indonesia in 1964, in Italy in 1969, in Malaysia in 1987, and in India in 1988.

4points

#54

Party lines.

God am I old

Sandman11x Report

Final score:

13points

POST

Geoffrey Scott 9 months ago

Not NEARLY as fun as they sound

2points

#55

911 wasn’t ‘invented’ till the 70s, I think…. Before that, you’d call your local police. And they came…

littlemissnoname- Report

Final score:

12points

POST

AnnaRachelle 9 months ago

For the UK the first 999 emergency number was introduced in 1937. It was after a horrific house fire

19points

#56

Jim Fixx, author of the 1977 "Complete Book of Running" - every home with a jogger in the family had one of these - died of a heart attack. While jogging.

CalmCalmBelong Report

Final score:

10points

POST

tracy black 9 months ago

i had a friend in high school ( long time ago lol) that ran track in jr high all thru high school and college and had continues running every day regardless of the weather ate healthy was super fit dropped dead while running

2points

“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

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College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

#57

I’m not that old….

But my mom said that when she gave birth (early 60s), hospitals had no AC…

littlemissnoname- Report

Final score:

10points

POST

Jamus Foley 9 months ago

Born in the 60s but "not that old"? I hate to be the one to break it to you...

3points

#58

you could dial 555-1212 to get the exact time

t1dmommy Report

Final score:

9points

POST

Charlie the Cat 9 months ago

123 in the UK

2points

#59

you were sick, and got a appointment at your village GP The same day... well you waited for 2 hours will a waiting room full of sick people, and your GP didn't believed you. but you still have your appointment the same day you called.

AlissonHarlan Report

Final score:

7points

POST

censorshipsucks 9 months ago

I am so old that i remember when doctors came and did housecalls, complete with the black bag that opened at the top with a clip.

21points

#60

The very first Grammy Awards were in 1959.

anon Report

Final score:

2points

POST

SeaJaySea 9 months ago

Cool! (covering up a comment, have a nice day!)

1point

Howdy, I'm Adelaide! I'm originally from Texas, but after graduating from university with an acting degree, I relocated to sunny Los Angeles for a while. I then got a serious bite from the travel bug and found myself moving to Sweden and England before settling in Lithuania about two years ago. I'm passionate about animal welfare, sustainability and eating delicious food. But as you can see, I cover a wide range of topics including drama, internet trends and hilarious memes. I can easily be won over with a Seinfeld reference, vegan pastry or glass of fresh cold brew. And during my free time, I can usually be seen strolling through a park, playing tennis or baking something tasty.

Read less »

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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What do you think ?

POST

Milan 9 months ago

What kind of content would Boredpanda be making if Reddit didn't exist and Americans didn't post stuff there? 🤷🏼‍♂️😁

16points

Boris Long-Johnson 9 months ago

“10 best …. From Amazon” probably.

17points

Barry Meyer 9 months ago

Headlight dimmer switches on the left side floor board.

11points

Steve Hall 9 months ago

And no emergency flashers.

3points

Jason Goebel 9 months ago

This brought back so many memories.

6points

Ml7500 9 months ago

Ok, I feel super old now... -_-'

3points

Seedy Vine 9 months ago

We didn't used to lock our doors. We didn't need to.

2points

Jude Laskowski 9 months ago

I grew up in New York City in the 1940s; we locked our apartment doors with several locks.

0points

marianne eliza 9 months ago

I remember the days when little kids were offered a phone book as a booster seat. Didn't work very well if you were in a small town.

2points

EmBree 9 months ago

My ex had a mobile phone. The kind that looked like a suitcase. The calls cost 5€ per minute plus a 5€ call up fee in today's money. 10€ for a quick call. Today that's what I pay per month.

2points

Mariele Scherzinger 9 months ago

Concerning the headline. I am an English teacher (English as a second language). Lately, one of my most talented students, who picks up most of his English on the internet, insisted that the word "shook" is the past tense of "to shock". These days, there seems less and less purpose in trying to teach kids grammar when they pick up the fast-spreading substandard grammar so easily.

1point

Lauren Caswell 9 months ago

I guess over time, it happens in Etymology. Example: 'Thou/Thee' used to be the informal.

0points

BlueBlazer999 9 months ago

Most of these are very well known by younger generations. And then you wonder why we don’t want to go back to “the good old days”.

1point

Alexandra Nara 9 months ago

There is no good old times...We remember the freedom we had cause we were young and didn't have to take care of cold war, lung cancer,lead in furnitures ,car crashes or asbest in buildings. The older you get, the more difficult you adapt to changes..and the world seems to get more insecure and complicated every day Do I want to get out of our social and financial crisis? ?Yes, for sure Do I want to go backwards? No the world will change like it always have done.. And even if we rant about the stupidity of youth spreading on social media, we are aware how many of them fight for a better tomorrow,how smart some of them run businesses at twentyplus

6points

Alias Fakename 9 months ago

As gen z, I just want to say I know about all these things. Payphones? Ashtrays/Cigarettes everywhere? Most of this list is some version of "There were no smartphones" and "Everything was dangerous"

0points

🇫🇮 Goth Nurse 🇫🇮 9 months ago

I remember how my Commodore64 loaded up games by a cassette tape. Sometimes the load would be faulty and I had to start it all over again. I can stil vividy lear the loading theme music from Platoon in my head.

0points

CP 9 months ago

I still can't believe older people aren't self aware enough to not complain about the music kids listen to. It is being tired and boring.

0points

Will Cable 9 months ago

Supersonic flights on Concorde. You get looked at by some as if you are from another planet.

0points

Mr. Sourcrowd 🧐 9 months ago

Around 2000 when you still paid for a phone call per minute there were pre-selections that changed on a daily routine. Very helpful especially when you called someone abroad. It was a lot of cheaper

0points

xWILTED_ROSEx 9 months ago

Oh everything was sooo much better. Who do we blame? Totally not you and your peers who made it like this! Nooo it's the stupid kids and teens who don't get to experience real joy! And then adults laugh at them for thinking they were born in the wrong time.

-1point

Lauren Caswell 9 months ago (edited)

Looking over human history, the division you feel is somewhat human nature. https://historyhustle.com/2500-years-of-people-complaining-about-the-younger-generation/amp/ Additionally, I wrote essays about rainforest deforestation in the 90s. Made my class sign anti chicken cage farmng forms (which is banned in my country now). But much of my generation is like yours: stuck, as no one will let go of the reins they hold above our heads. Housing etc, at least where I live. It changed under our feet too.

0points

POST

Milan 9 months ago

What kind of content would Boredpanda be making if Reddit didn't exist and Americans didn't post stuff there? 🤷🏼‍♂️😁

16points

Boris Long-Johnson 9 months ago

“10 best …. From Amazon” probably.

17points

Barry Meyer 9 months ago

Headlight dimmer switches on the left side floor board.

11points

Steve Hall 9 months ago

And no emergency flashers.

3points

Jason Goebel 9 months ago

This brought back so many memories.

6points

Ml7500 9 months ago

Ok, I feel super old now... -_-'

3points

Seedy Vine 9 months ago

We didn't used to lock our doors. We didn't need to.

2points

Jude Laskowski 9 months ago

I grew up in New York City in the 1940s; we locked our apartment doors with several locks.

0points

marianne eliza 9 months ago

I remember the days when little kids were offered a phone book as a booster seat. Didn't work very well if you were in a small town.

2points

EmBree 9 months ago

My ex had a mobile phone. The kind that looked like a suitcase. The calls cost 5€ per minute plus a 5€ call up fee in today's money. 10€ for a quick call. Today that's what I pay per month.

2points

Mariele Scherzinger 9 months ago

1point

Lauren Caswell 9 months ago

I guess over time, it happens in Etymology. Example: 'Thou/Thee' used to be the informal.

0points

BlueBlazer999 9 months ago

Most of these are very well known by younger generations. And then you wonder why we don’t want to go back to “the good old days”.

1point

Alexandra Nara 9 months ago

6points

Alias Fakename 9 months ago

As gen z, I just want to say I know about all these things. Payphones? Ashtrays/Cigarettes everywhere? Most of this list is some version of "There were no smartphones" and "Everything was dangerous"

0points

🇫🇮 Goth Nurse 🇫🇮 9 months ago

0points

CP 9 months ago

I still can't believe older people aren't self aware enough to not complain about the music kids listen to. It is being tired and boring.

0points

Will Cable 9 months ago

Supersonic flights on Concorde. You get looked at by some as if you are from another planet.

0points

Mr. Sourcrowd 🧐 9 months ago

Around 2000 when you still paid for a phone call per minute there were pre-selections that changed on a daily routine. Very helpful especially when you called someone abroad. It was a lot of cheaper

0points

xWILTED_ROSEx 9 months ago

-1point

Lauren Caswell 9 months ago (edited)

0points